Improved method of preparing coon-skins



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CHESTERWI'LLIAMS, JR, or IALBA, PENNSYLVANIA. Letters Patent No. 87,894, dated March 16, 1869.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that LUBESTER WILLIAMS, Jr.,'of

, Alba, in the county of Bradford, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Process of Preparing Raccoon-Skins, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever they occur. To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention relates to processes of treating furhearing skins, and consists in a novel method of treating and preparing the skin of the raccoon, so as to pro: duce a fur not only imitating, but possessing many of the qualities of the beaver and other valuable furs.

Heretofore, the skin of the raccoon, commonly called ooonskin, has been prepared and used-in its natural state, with the hair on; In this condition, it isthrown upon the market, and becomes an article of trade;

It has never been customary, so far as Iam informed, to even pluckout the coarse hair which projects beyond the fill, .or fine hair next to the skin, and principally because it was believed that it would reduce too much the body of the fur.

I have found that the coarse hair which projects beyond the body of the fur becomes verysimilar'in character and appearance with'the for itself, as it enters it.

Having'disoovered this fact, I was led tobelieve that if the coarse hair projecting beyond the body of the for were out .ofi, there would be an excellent body of fur remaining.

The experiment was tried, and proved a success. The process now'employed by me in treating coonskins is as follows:

After the skin has been properly tawed, or tanned,

and the grease all thoroughly washed out of it, when it becomes dry, I comb and whip the fur-side of the skin with a little stick suitable for the purpose.

Under this operation the fur becomes lively, and the eoarse'hair stands erect. o

I thenlay itupon any suitable surface, and, with a sharp pair of shears, commence cutting off the long,

projecting'hairs, beginning at the bottom of the skin, and shearing toward the head.

I hold the shears so as to cut level and about onethird of the way down from the outer ends of the long hair. 4

After this is done, I whip the skin as before, and

shear off any projecting hairs that may remain, and continue the process until there is leftasmooth, dark,-

thick body of fur, which will be'found to imitate, in a remarkable manner, the fur of beaver, and others of a similar kind. 1

1 By this operation, it'will be seen that the body of the fur, next to the skin, is not diminished, as would be the case if the skin were plucked.

By this process, I am able to put into the market afur atcomparatively small cost, and yet valuable for many purposes.

At the same time, by this same process, I give to the coon-skin a new-value, which more than compensates for the additional cost.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, is- As a new article of manufacture, raccoon-skins, prepared substantially as herein described and for the purpose set foith. CHESTER WILLIAMS, JR.

Witnesses:

DAVID PALMER, I Genomes. PALMER. 

